


Children of War

by xantissa



Series: Power Imbalance [8]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, F/M, M/M, Sakura is TIRED, Vouyerism, War, taking comfort from the most unlikely place, the dreaded het, the very odd Team Seven dynamic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:55:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23767300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xantissa/pseuds/xantissa
Summary: The war is an ugly thing, even in its early stages, and Sakura is smack in the middle of it. When all she sees day in and day out is death, on the battlefields, on the operating table, she needs something to make her feel alive. In a fit of insanity she asks Sasuke for something and nobody is more surprised than she is when he agrees.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Power Imbalance [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/310380
Comments: 9
Kudos: 99





	Children of War

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to [Delphi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelphiPsmith) for a wonderful beta!

Sakura hesitated for a long moment, watching Sasuke from the shadows of the trees.

The border between Stone and Fire country was an odd landscape of receding forests and imposing mountains separated by sparse, winding streams. Sasuke sat on the bank of one of the most inaccessible of these, obviously trying to escape the bustle of the war camp further north. From this distance she could only see his silhouette, but he seemed very still, very calm. It was odd to see him alone. Usually somebody from his clan was always with him, be it a member of his team or one of the women.

After a long moment, she stepped out of the trees and approached him. He didn’t turn to look at her as she came closer, though she wasn’t doing anything to hide her presence. Reaching his side, she sat down on the ground next to him. His eyes flickered to her for a moment before going back to the waterfall.

She looked at his profile. It was ridiculous how handsome he was. The high cheekbones, the clean lines of his pale face, and the surprisingly powerful build for someone this obviously _pretty_.

He wasn’t a good man. He wasn’t even a nice or dependable man. He was definitely a great man, but in the worst of ways. He was cold to the point of ruthlessness, killing even childhood friends should they stand in his way. Merciless and remorseless. She wanted to call him arrogant, but he could back up all of his arrogance with actual skill; was it arrogance if it was justified? Maybe he just had a nasty character after all.

She wanted desperately to stop feeling this flutter in her stomach whenever he was close. Sasuke was nothing like the boy she'd fallen in love with. But for all the bad, for all the coldness and remorseless cruelty, he _could_ love. Not her, perhaps; not even Naruto, for all the man tried hard to get Sasuke's attention. He loved his brother, and there was a baffled gentleness in how he was so protective of the women in his clan. Completely average civilians could instantly cut through his defenses in ways Sakura couldn’t understand. Was it the children? Did he really desire children this much?

He had ignored her, or outright despised her, for most of the time they’d been teammates years ago. Later, he'd been ready to kill her when she’d made the mistake of challenging him.

Until now.

As Tsunade’s apprentice Sakura was one of the Head Medics, in charge of organizing the medical corps on the northern and eastern front lines. As her apprentice, Sakura was also the sole heir to Tsunade’s special techniques that were uniquely suited for the battlefield. As a result, Sakura usually split her time between the medical corps and the front lines.

The first time Sasuke had seen her on the battlefield, he'd activated his Sharingan to look at her, probably tracking her chakra to discover how she'd managed to gain such monstrous strength.

It figured, that he would finally look at her only when she was capable of wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting. She wasn’t worth looking at until she could kill without discrimination. All she’d ever wanted was to protect the people she loved, not be a burden to them. When she had been offered a career as a medic, she’d been overjoyed, finally finding something she was _good_ at.

But it was never good enough for the boy she'd been in love with for most of her childhood. She wasn’t sure who she was more angry at: him, for never seeing her as anything as more than an annoying teammate, or herself, for wanting him even now, even after everything that had happened.

She knew Sasuke wasn’t a good man, but that hadn't fully struck home until she'd realized that he only started looking at her with interest when she had blood on her hands.

She didn’t love him anymore. Or at least she hoped she didn’t. The boy she’d had a crush on for so long had never truly existed outside of her teenage imagination, and the young man he’d become was a stranger to her. The problem was, the man he'd become was still intriguing, still drawing her gaze like a moth to a flame.

She wondered sometimes what it said about her, that even knowing who and what he was, her heart skipped a beat every time she looked at him. With a bit of luck she would someday find someone to fall in love with, someone who would love her too. But right now she was still a little bit in love with a heartless killer, a boy who had grown by leaps and bounds, never noticing he was leaving her behind.

“How do you do this?” she asked abruptly. “How can you kill and feel nothing at all?” She'd seen him kill before; calm and competent, he never seemed affected in any way by the destruction and slaughter he left in his wake. Sometimes, when she was straining to save a person on the operating table or watching bodies break under her fists on the battlefield, she wished with all her heart she could be as cold and far-removed as he was.

She closed her eyes, feeling hot tears under her lids. Today she had watched three good men die on the operating table because the damage had been too great. Many more died on the frontlines. More would die the next day, and the next, and the one after that. And she wasn’t sure she could stand to watch it all anymore. “Tell me please," she whispered, "because I can’t bear it!”

Sakura wasn’t aware she was wringing her hands together until Sasuke's bigger, warmer hand closed over hers and stilled their frantic movements.

“It wouldn’t suit you,” he said in that in low, outrageously deep voice, "to become less than you are.”

Sakura stared, surprised by the unprecedented honesty of his words. “Sasuke…”

Her voice broke off, as she found that she didn't know what she wanted to say. There were so many things she felt right now. Guilt, fear, anger. And shame, because after killing on the battlefield and watching good men die in inadequately staffed hospital tents, she just wanted to forget about the war for a moment. Forget it, and take something for herself.

She surged up and kissed Sasuke firmly, expecting to be shoved away immediately, rejected the way she always was.

He didn’t push her away.

He stayed passive, his lips soft, until she broke the kiss. She didn't draw back, though, just breathed out across his lips, trying to get a grip on her own scattered emotions.

“Please,” she said finally, and oh, how she would hate herself later for that. For _begging_. She was Haruno Sakura, apprentice to Senju Tsunade. She didn’t _beg_. Especially a man as heartless as Sasuke.

He didn’t move an inch, neither pushing her away, nor retreating. His black eyes were as unreadable as always, and then he closed them slowly.

“I don’t...” he began, but she stopped him. She didn't need to hear him say it out loud, again, that he didn't love her, didn't care for her at all, not even as a friend.

“I know.” Because she did, she really did. She knew exactly how little she mattered to him.

“Then why?” He sounded lost, somehow. “You don’t love me anymore.”

God, how she wished that were true. Sometimes she thought she hated him; she definitely despised him for all the pain and suffering he’d caused. But he still made her heart pound, her belly grow tight and hot. She didn’t love him but she _could_ , and that was what hurt the most. Just a little of his attention, and the thing that that slept curled in her chest for so many years awoke, threatening to envelop her completely.

“Because I _want_ to,” she finally said, stressing the word fiercely. Because she had to deal out death every day, and then fight against it and watch people die despite her best efforts. She couldn’t do anything about that, but she could choose this.

He stared at her for a long moment, his eyes as unreadable as ever, but something in his face suggested that some part of their odd, disjointed conversation had struck a nerve within him. Sakura had no idea what she’d said that had affected him, but she wasn’t about to let the chance pass.

When she leaned in for another kiss, Sasuke responded. His lips were cool and hesitant for a moment, and then one of his arms came around her, pulling her closer. It made her instantly, shamefully hot. She wasn’t thinking of anything but the fantasy of having him, now, here, all her adolescent expectations bursting forth. Wanting to get as much from this moment as she could, Sakura wound her arms around him, thrilled that he didn’t stop her, in fact he shifted to accommodate her better. She climbed into his lap and kissed him harder, surprised at how gentle he was being. Somehow she’d expected him to be rough with his partners, and his careful way of touching her was both surprising and flattering.

They simply kissed for long moments, Sakura thrilled at getting to touch that hard, well-trained body as much as she wanted, flattered to feel him hard against her. It would have been humiliating if he hadn’t reacted to her at all. She brushed her fingers across the bared skin of his chest, surprisingly delicate over ridiculously hard muscles, scattered here and there with thin, long-healed scars. Fleetingly, she considered that he was too thin, his body pared down to nothing but bone, muscle and skin.

His hands were on her too, now, and that was another shock. He'd been so restrained when she kissed him first that she'd half-expected him to be passive about it, letting her have what she asked for and not participating beyond the obvious. But she could feel his hands on her sides, on her back, warm palms sliding forward to cup her breasts, thumbs sliding firmly over her nipples, sending a shocking spike of heat through her. She gasped into his mouth, arching her back towards him in silent demand for more, letting the heat rise up inside her. Feeling herself get wet for him, shockingly fast. It made no sense how much she wanted him. After so many years she should have been long over him. And yet. A slide of his hands over her back, the touch of his fingers on her breasts was enough to set her on fire. She didn’t care how it looked, she didn’t let herself think about how very bad an idea it was. Sasuke was strong and hot under her hands, his cock hard under his clothes. That was all she allowed herself to think about. The scent of his skin, the ozone and sweat, the coarseness of his hair under her fingers.

One-handed, she fumbled for her pouch, pulling out the protection all field-qualified ninja were issued to carry in their packs. As a medic, she carried more than the standard allotment -- it was so much easier to press a few foil packages into the hand of a flushed and eager boy rather than deal with an unplanned pregnancy among the often too-young ninja. The war forced a lot of Academy students to be promoted too rapidly to Genin level. They lacked the maturity to fully recognize the consequences of their actions. Besides, as Sakura was learning now, war made things different, shifted priorities. People looked for comfort in the most unexpected of places. Such as from a man who would tear her to shreds as soon as look at her.

She felt an odd lessening of tension in Sasuke’s frame as she pressed a single condom into his hand.

Suddenly, to her surprise, Sasuke rolled them over, his grip firm but surprisingly gentle, fitting himself between her legs with an ease and confidence that implied at least some experience. It didn’t fit with the way he’d touched her before, all hesitant caresses and careful mapping of her responses.

Sakura wasn’t going to spend time thinking, not now; she wasn't going to risk letting the reality of who he was shatter the fantasy she was living out. She released his hair, as bristly and thick as she’d always thought it would be, and reached for his belt. She didn’t care about anything other than getting naked enough to finally have him inside her _now_. She pushed his pants down enough to free him and wrapped her hand around his erection. She hadn’t had all that much experience. She’d lost her virginity to a civilian when she was fifteen. He’d been a charming and nice boy; she’d liked him but it wasn’t love, not even remotely. She’d still been in love with a boy who’d turned traitor on Konoha, and had been starting to fall in love with another, who had very obviously moved on from the crush he’d had on her for years. The boy she chose, the civilian, was lovely and charming and ultimately unthreatening, unable to touch her heart. He’d been a good choice.

She licked her lips, shocked at how good it felt to touch him, to feel the smooth skin and the heat of his cock in the palm of her hand. The life and heat of him, the scent of his own arousal. As she stroked Sasuke as much as she could from the odd angle, she heard his shuddering breath, the first real sound he’d made. He was so beautiful. In the cold light of the moon, with his dark hair in disarray and his slightly swollen lips parted, eyes closed, he was a fantasy come true.

“Hurry,” she urged, lifting her legs to rub her calves over his thighs. She didn’t care about anything but this moment, afraid it might be taken away in a heartbeat. Afraid that if, given more time, he would say something caustic that would shatter the illusion.

Sasuke pushed her skirt up. He considered her underwear for a moment and then, with characteristic ruthlessness, grabbed the white panties and yanked, the cloth tearing like tissue paper in his hands. She watched him rip open the small packet and roll the condom onto his cock with a quick, sure motion. She hated that confidence, that control about him. Sakura wanted, for once, to see him out of his mind for _her_.

When he pushed in, his eyes were tightly shut. Sakura was grateful for this. She didn’t want him to see her face at that moment, and all the things that must be so obviously painted there.

The penetration hurt a bit, despite him going slowly. It was a bit too soon, with too little foreplay, and she wasn’t exactly used to this act. For a moment, she felt trapped under his weight, under that undeniable power. She could feel the tension in his muscles where his body touched hers and it only brought home to her how much his power _turned her on_.

Sakura pushed her fingers into his hair again, relishing the freedom to touch, and pulled him in for another kiss, wet and deep, all the things she’d never associated with Sasuke. She didn’t want him to talk, afraid of the harsh words he might say. She much preferred this: a quiet night broken only by the rustle of clothes, ragged breathing, the wet sound of skin on skin. He was hard and heavy inside her, bigger than she thought she could handle but also closer than he’d ever been before. She could smell his sweat, hear his breath, and feel the heat and hardness of his body, the unyielding control he exerted over himself. The new angle meant that his pelvic bone rubbed over her clit on every slow thrust, and she gasped into his mouth, the pain fading into pleasure, enjoying the sensation of being filled, of the sheer power of the man above her, the danger he represented. Against all logic, his coldness, his ruthlessness made him even more desirable in her eyes in this moment.

And _oh_ but there was a reason he was called a genius after all. He caught on to the way the new angle affected her and adjusted immediately, moving gradually faster, harder. Sakura gripped at his shoulders, scratched her nails across his back just because she could, and did her best to meet each and every thrust. They were both sweaty and panting, the total lack of dignity only making it _better_. She loved the weight pressing her down, the fast, rough rhythm, and the scent of his body all around her. It wasn’t awkward, for all the unexpectedness of the act. He wasn’t afraid of her strength, nor was he overly cautious with her. Each time she dug her nails into his back, he only hissed and surged even harder inside her. She loved the hard feel of his muscles, straining with the act, the heat surging between them. The stretch, the way he filled her every time he pushed in, the rough press of his body against her clit, the sheer animalistic primitiveness of this, she loved it all.

She came embarrassingly fast, tightening around him in bursts and panting breathlessly over his lips, too lost in sensation to keep kissing him, colors flashing in her mind and wiping it clear of any conscious thought.

Sasuke was obviously close too, because he shifted to grip her hips hard enough to hurt and just fucked into her, pushing the breath right out of her on every thrust. Even over-sensitive as she was after her orgasm, she wanted it, wanted _him_ , and she locked her legs around him to urge him on.

It was over in a moment. Sasuke went tense and still above her, his muscles standing out in sharp relief for a moment as he came, spilling himself inside her, cock swelling and twitching in those brief moments. He was silent aside from the harsh gasps for air. He looked so different, his face slack with pleasure, a flush staining his pale skin, long lashes fanning over his cheeks. He looked like someone else completely, someone gentler and prettier by far.

Sakura expected him to roll off her immediately, so she was surprised when he leaned in for a brief kiss, nothing more than a press of lips against lips, before pulling out and lying down beside her on the grass, their bodies close but not touching. She could hear his harsh breathing slowly starting to calm. There was a warm lassitude in her body, a pleasant ache between her legs. Even the wetness felt good now. It might have been rough and fast, but it had left her feeling relaxed and alive and, yes, _pleased_. When she closed her eyes she saw his flushed face, features slack with pleasure, instead of bodies cooling on tables in a makeshift morgue.

Finally, after a long moment, Sakura pulled her skirt down and righted her clothing as much as she could while lying down and turned to look at Sasuke. He was already dressed, looking put together enough that no one would know he’d been fucking her just a few minutes ago. It was only the stretched, pulsing feeling between her legs that served as proof of what just happened.

He wasn’t looking at her, staring up at the moon above them, but she could tell he was getting visibly tenser with each second she regarded him.

With a huff of silent laughter, she sat up.

She pulled a hair tie out of her pocket. She usually wore her hair loose but she had the feeling it looked a bit of a mess right now. She held the tie in her mouth while she did her best to finger comb her hair and pull it into a tail. She didn’t particularly want to go back into the camp with sex hair.

“Was this...” He hesitated, his voice low and still a little rough. She hadn't expected him to speak at all, and the hesitation was even more of a surprise. “Was it what you wanted?”

She stared at him, the sharp lines of his face, the pale skin and dark eyes. She wanted to push the messy bangs away from his forehead, wanted to see the rest of his body, all of it, not just imagine how it must look based on the few touches she'd gotten. She twisted the tie around her hair and smiled. He didn't see it, his eyes fixed in the distance.

“Yes,” she said simply. It wasn’t _all_ she wanted, but yes, in this moment in time, it was what she needed. The fact he'd been willing was far beyond whatever she'd expected of him. Maybe she was wrong about him, at least to a certain extent. Maybe he wasn’t as cold as he wanted people to believe.

“Get some rest, Sasuke.” She gave him a peck on the cheek and stood up, walking away without looking back. He’d already let her in further than ever before, and she knew that pushing for more would only cause him to clam up again. It was already astounding that he’d done this with her at all.

As she reached the shadows of the treeline, she was startled to see Naruto, his chakra masked to almost nothing. He wasn't looking at her.

Sakura turned to follow his line of sight: the place beside the stream where she and Sasuke had just had sex. She flushed, wondering how long he’d been here.

His blue eyes were oddly shadowed, making it hard for her to read his thoughts. This was happening more and more often, she realized, Naruto becoming distant to her, harder to read.

They were growing apart, and she _hated_ it.

When he was younger Naruto used to say he was in love with Sakura, but he hadn’t tried to ask her out for years now. He was also, of course, fixated on bringing Sasuke back to Konoha. She'd seen the unsubtle flirting he directed at the Uchiha. She wondered whether it had hurt him to watch her and Sasuke. She wondered whether he was jealous. And if so, of whom.

Her flush deepened but she held her head high. They were leaving her behind once more, but this once she’d been allowed to take something for herself. Something she wanted. Something she deserved. She wasn’t going to apologize for that.

She gazed into Naruto’s eyes, and found it a shock that she had to look up at him now. The annoying kid had grown into an immensely powerful man, and it still took her aback.

“I wanted…” She paused, because what was it she’d wanted actually? Just to _fuck_ him? Yes and no. He’d been a fantasy for years, and having him like this, letting him -- no, _making_ him -- take her was a thrill. But there was so much more to it. She’d wanted to feel alive, to feel like a woman, to feel something good after watching people die from horrifying injuries in a war caused by a single madman. “He’s not an enemy right now,” she finished, lost for words.

Naruto turned towards her and his eyes curled into gentle half moons as his lips quirked up. “I know,” he said simply, opening his arms.

She stepped into the hug gratefully, pressing her nose into his shoulder and inhaling the familiar scent.

Naruto hugged her firmly, not afraid to hold her for as long as they both needed it.

“I know,” he repeated into her hair, and Sakura knew he did. He understood that uncertain feeling. They’d spent years hoping Sasuke would come back. Waiting for him. Looking for him. Fighting for him. Having him back was supposed to be their victory, the great win, Team Seven back together after so many years.

Instead, Sasuke had come back only to serve as the deadliest weapon in a war started by a madman. His return should have been a matter for joy; instead Sakura was elbow deep in dead or dying people all day long and slowly going numb.

All of this -- her feelings, Sasuke, the war, his new clan he'd built without Naruto or her -- all of it was so unfair. But it was all they had, perhaps all that children of war could expect.

The End.


End file.
